Ray Lewis, UFC star?

MediaTakeOut.com is saying Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis is close to signing a deal with the UFC that would allow him to fight once or twice a year against hand-picked opponents.

According to a person who works at U.F.C., the Baltimore Ravens star linebacker and the league have been negotiating for months and are close to closing the deal. The insider told MediaTakeOut.com, "Ray Lewis was an All-American wrestler in high school, and he's just an all around bad a**. He'll fit in perfectly here."

Contrary to what this photo shows, Lewis would get smoked in the UFC. Those athletes are far more than swinging fists and kicking legs. They're submissions artists, tacticians and extremely patient.

Case in point: Former college All-American, WWE badass and former aspiring NFL player Brock Lesnar wailed on his opponent, Frank Mir, with brute strength and ferociousness but tapped out after 90 seconds because he had no technique and made a mistake.

Who cares if Lewis was an All-American wrestler in high school. That had to be about 15 years ago. I'm gonna' go out on a limb and say he's a little rusty.

This deal does two things - it gives the UFC exposure to the NFL fanbase in hopes it can grow its audience. It gives Ray Lewis, once tried for (and acquited) of murder, something to do in the off-season, a pocket full of money, and a way to take out pent-up anger from the latter part of the Brian Billick Era.